Belgians Thierry Neuvilla with co-driver Nicolas Gilsoul will be joined by New Zealanders Hayden Paddon with John Kennard . The third crew in Sweden will be formed by the current Dutch test driver Kevin Abbring with British co-driver Sebastian Marshall . They will compete under the new Hyundai Mobis World Rally Team brand.
The Swedish Rally is the only event of the season that is driven on snow. This presents a special challenge for all teams, which is why demanding tests have been taking place at the venue since last December. Hyundai tested its i20 WRC specials here for four days in mid-December last year.
Hyundai Sport Team Principal Michel Nandan commented: “ Rally Sweden was one of the toughest tests for our young team in our debut season last year. We learned a lot during it and will try to use our experience this year. "
Thierry Neuville finished fifth in Sweden last year and the course showed that he could win an even better position. " I have the least experience with snow in terms of racing, but with each competition I gather new and new experience, so I believe that my fourth participation here will bring further improvement, " said Neuville.
Shortly before the start of Rally Sweden, the Hyundai Shell World Rally Team has to deal with a problem with the nominated crews. Spanish rider Dani Sordo was injured during mountain bike training and will not be able to compete. However, the injury is not serious and the team believes that Sordo will already take part in the next event in Mexico. " First of all, we would like to wish Dani a speedy recovery. He needs to properly prepare for Rally Mexico next month ," added Michel Nandan.
The Swedish Rally has a total of 21 special stages with a total length of 308 kilometers. The competition starts on Thursday, February 12 in Karlstad. Friday's program will take the riders to Norway . The entire rally culminates with a ceremonial finish on Sunday, February 15.
Source: Hyundai
